Forgetting
by Keara
Summary: (Completed) What secret is Matt hiding from the rest of the Digidestined? And why does this new digimon want to help him forget his most painful memories?


Disclaimers: I don't own anything. (As if I really had to tell all of you.)  
  
Author's notes: This is my first Digimon fanfic. I haven't watched it for awhile, so I'm not up to date on the story lines. But I like Matt, so I wrote a fanfic that is basically all about Matt. If you don't like Matt, stop reading now. And Matt doesn't get Mimi or Sora. I really don't think that either of them are right for him, so I created a girl.  
  
In my story, Matt is at least twelve (I'm not exactly sure how old he is.) and T.K. is eight or younger.   
  
I tried to give at least one chapter to each of the Digidestined. The chapters aren't very long though.   
  
I hope you like it. Please Review or email me with your comments. I love hearing from people.  
  
  
  
Forgetting  
  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
  
"I don't want to remember. I don't want to remember." Matt mumbled over and over again in his sleep.  
  
Sora just watched him from her place near the fire. This happened almost every night. The group would stop for the night and go to sleep. Then a few hours later, Sora would wake up hearing Matt calling out in his sleep.  
  
She was worried about him. He had been acting strange the past few days. He seemed more protective of T.K. than usual. His eyes were surrounded by dark circles, probably because of his sleeping troubles. But he also seemed distant, as if he was pushing himself even further away from the rest of the group. And he hadn't been all that close to anyone to begin with.  
  
She wondered what he dreamed about. What made him so afraid? What didn't he want to remember?  
  
Then suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he sat straight up. He was completely covered in sweat, but Sora could see him shivering. She ducked her head down, not wanting him to know that she had been watching him. But she still kept an eye on him.   
  
She watched as he wiped his hand over his face. He looked over at T.K., who slept beside him. Matt just stared at his little brother for several minutes. Sora could have sworn that she had seen a tear fall from his eye. But she shook it off, not believing that it had happened. Matt never cried.  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
  
Matt just sat there, starring out at the lake before him. The water was calm, the light of the sun shimmering off the surface. He closed his eyes and put his harmonica to his lips. But the only sound that came out was a depressing melody. But of course, he was playing the way he felt.  
  
"That sounded so sad." Sora said, as she sat beside him.  
  
"I guess." Matt replied as he placed the harmonica back in his pocket.   
  
"Something on your mind?" She asked.  
  
Matt looked at her for a moment. She really did seem to care, but he couldn't tell her. Just like he couldn't tell any of the others. None of them would understand, and he couldn't let T.K. find out. He didn't know, and if Matt had anything to say about it, he would never know. He could at least spare his little brother the pain he felt every day.  
  
"No. I guess I'm just in a blues kind of mood." Matt looked back out at the water. It looked peaceful, but underneath the surface there were currents, pulling this way and that. It sort of reminded Matt of himself. On the outside he looked fine, but underneath was something that none of the other Digidestined could ever imagine.  
  
"Well, if you ever want to talk . . ." Sora began, but Matt didn't need to hear the rest.  
  
"Yeah, you'll be there for me, right?"  
  
"Come on guys!" Shouted Tai. "We should get moving again!"  
  
Matt silently stood and walked away, not really caring if Sora was following him or not. Gabumon came up beside him, staying quiet, but Matt could tell that the digimon was worried about him.   
  
Hours later, the group once again stopped. Matt leaned back against a nearby tree as the others got ready for bed. Sora volunteered to take the first watch. Joe and Mimi were arguing about something, as their digimon tried to stop their fighting. Tai and Agumon were talking while Izzy was once again on his computer, with Tentomon looking over his shoulder. T.K. walked over to Matt.   
  
"You should get some rest." Matt said to his younger brother.  
  
"But I'm not tired." He said as he rubbed his eyes sleepily. Patamon, who sat atop his head, yawned.  
  
"Sure you aren't." He replied sarcastically.  
  
T.K. curled up next to him, with Patamon lying in his arms. Quickly, the little boy was asleep. Matt smiled as he watched his little brother sleep. Soon, he too had drifted off to sleep.  
  
But unlike his brother, his sleep was disturbed by nightmares. It was the same as always. It began as a happy family outing in a park. Everyone was happy and laughing. Then, it all went bad. There was screaming and blood, so much blood.  
  
Matt awoke with a start. He sat up and wiped the sweat from his face. Why couldn't he just forget? Why did he have to remember that terrible day?   
  
"Do you want to forget?" Whispered a mysterious voice.  
  
Matt looked around, wondering who had spoken to him. But everyone was asleep, except for Sora. But she was all the way on the other side of the fire, and the voice had sounded a lot closer.  
  
"Do you want to forget?" The voice whispered again.  
  
"Who are you? Where are you? What do you want with me?" Matt said, trying not to talk too loud. He didn't want to disturb anyone else. He glanced down at T.K. The little boy still slept beside him.  
  
"I can help you forget. If that's what you really want."  
  
"Leave me alone. Go away." Matt said quietly as he closed his eyes.  
  
"As you wish." The strange voice whispered. Then everything was silent again.  
  
Thoughts ran through Matt's mind. Who was this mysterious voice? What did it want with him? Was it a threat to him or the others?   
  
He thought about it and thought about it. But he couldn't come up with any answers. He leaned back against the tree once again, his arm wrapped around T.K. protectively. No one was going to hurt T.K., especially not this mysterious voice.  
  
  
Chapter Three  
  
  
It had been two days since that voice had spoken to him. Matt stood and walked away from camp. He had just had that nightmare again, had just relived the memories he wanted to forget so badly. He walked along the riverbank, and kicked a small stone into the dark waters.  
  
No one knew he was gone. Izzy was on watch, and he was pretty easy to get past if you knew how. Matt just waited until Izzy had opened his computer, before trying to leave.  
  
"Do you want to forget?" The voice had returned and once again it was asking its question.  
  
The sound of the voice startled him and he jumped a bit. "Who are you?" He asked.  
  
"Does it really matter? I only want to help you forget."  
  
"Of course it matters. How do I know I can trust you, if I don't even know who you are? For all I know, you could be an evil digimon."  
  
"Fine. If you really must know who I am, then I will show you."  
  
The wind picked up. Matt had to shield his eyes as dirt and leaves were blown into his face. The force of the wind was so great that it almost knocked him over. Then, as quickly as it had started, the wind stopped.  
  
Matt took his hands away from his eyes and saw two figures standing before him. They were definitely digimon. They sort of reminded Matt of Angemon, since they both looked like humans. But, unlike Angemon, they wore dark clothing.   
  
"I am Lokimon." Said the male digimon. He was dressed in what looked like a black tuxedo, with a high red collar. Dark red stripes, adorned the sleeves of his jacket and pants. He had pale skin and jet-black hair.   
  
"And I am LadyLokimon." Replied the female. She resembled Lokimon closely, with her black hair and pale skin, but her hair hung down past her waist. Her lips were a bluish shade. Her tight fitting black dress showed off all her curves, and had high slits up either side, exposing her thighs when she moved. A sheer red cape, attached to the shoulder straps of her sleeveless dress, flowed behind her.  
  
"What do you want with me?" Matt asked, not trusting either of these two digimon.  
  
"As we said before, we only wish to help you." Lokimon replied.  
  
"Yes. You seemed to be in such pain, remembering those horrible things. We only want to help you forget." LadyLokimon said. She flashed a beautiful smile.  
  
Matt thought for a moment, but wasn't convinced of their intentions. "But I still don't know if I can trust you."  
  
"We understand." LadyLokimon said as she bowed her head. "If you change your mind, just call out our names and we will appear." She vanished.  
  
Lokimon approached Matt slowly, smiling. Matt instinctively took a step back. Lokimon must have noticed, since he paused. "I apologize for offending you. I meant only to shake your hand in agreement."  
  
"Agreement? What agreement?" Matt asked, confused.  
  
"LadyLokimon and I agree that if you should ever need us, for anything, we will come. That is all we agree to. No more, no less." He held his hand out and waited.  
  
Matt looked at it for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to trust him. The two of them had seemed nice enough, not like any of the evil digimon they had met. He decided to take a chance. What harm could it do to shake his hand?  
  
He grasped his hand, noticing how strong a grip he had. Lokimon smiled again as he let go. Then he vanished just as quickly as his friend.  
  
For a moment, Matt felt dizzy. But since it passed so quickly, he didn't give it a second thought. He turned and walked back to camp, hoping that no one had noticed he was gone. As he walked, Matt felt himself growing extremely tired with every step.  
  
  
Chapter Four  
  
  
T.K. looked over at Matt. He had been acting funny lately, definitely not like himself. He was overprotective, way more than he usually was. And he had those strange dark circles under his eyes.  
  
What happened last night had convinced T.K. that there was something wrong with Matt. He had left camp late last night. Matt didn't think T.K. had noticed, but he had. How could he not notice? T.K. had woken up, hearing Matt crying. Matt must have been having a nightmare. When Matt woke up, T.K. pretended to be asleep. He watched Matt leave camp.  
  
He didn't know that T.K. had followed him. If he did, he didn't show it. T.K. had seen the two strange digimon that Matt had talked to. He had wanted to get a better look, but was afraid to get any closer. He really didn't like spying on his big brother, and he knew that Matt would be angry at him for following him so late at night.  
  
Then when Matt came back, he was acting odd. He looked so tired. He didn't even try to sneak back in. And when Izzy had asked him where he'd been, Matt had ignored him completely. T.K. had run ahead of him, just to get back before him. He didn't want Matt to know that he had followed him.  
  
Now, he was watching his brother again. Matt was sleeping, peacefully for a change. In fact, he was sleeping too peacefully. Something wasn't right. T.K. reached over and shook one of Matt's shoulders. "Matt, wake up. Everyone else is up."  
  
But Matt didn't move. He didn't even make a sound. T.K. was beginning to get worried. He shook harder. But Matt still didn't wake up. "Sora!" He yelled out.  
  
She came running over to him, with Biyomon close behind her. "What is it T.K.?"  
  
T.K. was crying. He wiped his tears from his eyes. "Matt won't wake up." He said, trying not to whine.  
  
Sora knelt down next to Matt. Biyomon was standing behind her. Gabumon placed one of his large paws on T.K.'s shoulder, while Patamon still sat atop T.K.'s head.  
  
Sora gently shook Matt's shoulder. "Come on, Matt. Wake up." Again, he didn't open his eyes. Sora put her fingers to his throat. "Well, he's alive." She told T.K. "But I don't know why he isn't waking up."  
  
"What are we going to do?"  
  
"Maybe I should tell the others." She stood and walked away.   
  
T.K. just sat there, watching Matt. He felt so helpless. Here, his brother was lying there unconscious, and T.K. couldn't do a thing about it. What would happen if Matt never woke up? Again, he felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes. Matt hated it when T.K. cried, but he just couldn't help it now.   
  
Patamon jumped off his head and looked up at Gabumon. Gabumon shrugged, but talked to T.K. anyway. "It is going to be okay T.K. I am sure that Matt will wake up soon."  
  
"No, he won't." T.K. cried. "And it's all my fault."  
  
"What's all your fault, T.K.?" Tai asked as he and the others approached.  
  
T.K. wiped his tears away and looked straight up at Tai. Then he bowed his head, ashamed of what he had done last night. "Last night, I woke up and saw Matt leave camp. So I followed him, and I saw him talking with two strange digimon."  
  
"Two strange digimon?" Joe gasped.  
  
"What were they talking about?" asked Sora.  
  
T.K. could feel the tears again, but he held them back. "They said that they wanted to help Matt, that they could help him forget."  
  
"Forget what?" Mimi asked.  
  
"I don't know. They didn't say. But Matt told them that he didn't trust them and one of them left. But then Matt shook the other one's hand. Maybe he did something to Matt when he shook hands with him. If I had stopped him, then Matt would be okay."  
  
"It's okay T.K., you didn't know they were dangerous." Sora said, wrapping her arms around the little boy. "You couldn't have known. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."  
  
Mimi nearly shouted as she exclaimed, "What?!"  
  
"How can it possibly be your fault?" Izzy asked.  
  
"I knew Matt had something on his mind. He hasn't been sleeping the past few days. He woke me up on a few occasions, talking in his sleep, saying that he didn't want to remember something. I tried to talk to him, but he just shrugged me off. Maybe if I had been more persistent, he wouldn't be like this."  
  
T.K. looked up at her, and saw a tear run down her cheek. "Don't cry Sora." T.K. said. He didn't like to see other people unhappy. "I guess it's nobody's fault."  
  
"T.K.'s right." Patamon said. "None of you are to blame. It was that digimon that did this to him."  
  
"Yes, what were their names T.K.?" Gabumon asked.  
  
T.K. thought for a moment, trying to remember what they had called themselves. "Lokimon and LadyLokimon." He replied after a few moments.  
  
"Oh, I've heard of them." Tentomon spoke up. "Lokimon is a trickster, constantly pulling pranks on unsuspecting digimon. But LadyLokimon has always tried to keep him under control. She constantly helps others. She gives them what they want, and never asks for anything in return."  
  
"Was Lokimon the one that shook his hand?" Agumon asked.  
  
T.K. replied. "Yes."  
  
"Then he must have done this to Matt. We have to go to LadyLokimon and ask for her help. She's the only one that can help."  
  
"Where can we find her?" Joe asked.  
  
Agumon pointed toward the forest. "She lives in a castle deep in the forest. It's at least a day's travel away from here."  
  
"We can't carry Matt the entire way." Joe stated.   
  
"But we can't just leave him here alone." Tai replied.  
  
"He will not be alone. I will be here." Gabumon said, stepping forward.  
  
"I'll stay too." T.K. announced.  
  
"So will I." Mimi said.  
  
Everyone turned to her, apparently shocked that she would volunteer for anything. "You will?" Joe asked.  
  
"Someone needs to look out for T.K. Besides, we'll have Patamon, Palmon, and Gabumon here to protect us from any evil digimon." Mimi sat next to T.K. and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. T.K. appreciated the gesture.  
  
"Fine." Tai said. "Then I guess we should get going."  
  
  
Chapter Five  
  
  
Mimi had seen the way they had looked at her when she announced that she would stay behind with T.K. and Matt. They had all been shocked, even the digimon. They all thought she was a coward, a snobby, whiny, little rich girl. It hurt her, knowing they all thought she was weak.  
  
Of course it had been true, when they had first arrived in the Digiworld. She had done nothing but complain about what the weather was doing to her hair, to her clothes. She had rarely stopped whining about her petty problems. But slowly, she had been getting better, at least she thought so. Maybe now, the others wouldn't think she was so weak.  
  
Mimi looked down at Matt. He didn't look comfortable. She could see that he wasn't sleeping peacefully. He must be having one of those nightmares, she thought to herself. She remembered Sora mentioning something about nightmares, and how he always woke up covered in sweat.   
  
But this time he couldn't wake up. He was trapped, and there was nothing Mimi could do to help him. All she could do was wait while the others tried to find LadyLokimon and try to get her to help.  
  
Mimi hated waiting. She had to do something. She looked at Matt again and saw beads of sweat appearing on his face. She wondered how bad the nightmare was. By the look of Matt, it was horrible.  
  
T.K. grabbed her skirt and tugged on it. "Mimi?" He asked.  
  
Mimi looked down at him. "Yes?" She asked, trying to sound pleasant, although her throat burned from holding back her tears. She had to be strong for T.K.   
  
"Isn't there anything we can do to help Matt?" T.K. asked, his tears running down his cheeks once again. Mimi could see that he was trying to put up a brave front.  
  
Mimi tried to think of something for them to do. They couldn't just wait around. Then, she got an idea. Just because they couldn't wake him up, didn't mean that they couldn't try to make him more comfortable. "Maybe there is." Mimi said as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you and Patamon go get some water from the river?"  
  
"Okay." He said happily as he ran away from camp. Patamon flew after him as quickly as he could.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Palmon asked.   
  
"We're going to try and make Matt as comfortable as we can." Mimi said, pulling her handkerchief from her purse.  
  
T.K. quickly returned, carrying the water in a large beat up old can. "We forgot to take something to get the water." Patamon said. "But luckily we found this old can washed up on the riverbank. There was some other junk too, but we left it."  
  
Mimi sat beside Matt. He was tossing and turning in his sleep, flailing his arms to fend off enemies that only he could see. T.K. placed the can of water on the ground next to Mimi.   
  
Mimi folded her handkerchief neatly, then dipped it in the water. As she pulled it out again, she squeezed the excess water out. Gently, she dabbed at his awfully pale skin, cleaning the sweat from his face. He moaned in his sleep, only making Mimi worry more about him.  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" T.K. asked.  
  
"Maybe he'll calm down if you hold his hand." Mimi suggested.  
  
"But he's asleep. He doesn't know I'm here." T.K. replied sadly.  
  
"That's not true. I'm sure that in some way he knows we're here watching over him. He might not be able to see us, but he knows." She said. She smiled at T.K. as the little boy took hold of his brother's hand. Gabumon took hold of Matt's other hand.  
  
Almost immediately, Matt stopped struggling, stopped flailing his arms at unseen enemies. "Hey Mimi, you were right. Maybe he does know we're here." Palmon said hopefully as she placed her leafy hand on Mimi's shoulder.  
  
"I'm sure he does." Mimi smiled, and could feel the tears at the corners of her eyes. She looked down at her friend, hoping that the others would get to LadyLokimon soon. She didn't know how long she'd be able to keep herself from crying as she watched over her sick friend.  
  
  
Chapter Six  
  
  
Sora's feet hurt. But of course they would after walking for the entire day. They hadn't even stopped to rest or eat. I guess none of the others really wanted to, not with Matt unable to wake up. They were all too worried about him.   
  
Sora jumped when Biyomon shouted, "There it is." She really hadn't been paying attention to anything for the past few hours. She just couldn't stop worrying about Matt.  
  
She looked up and saw it. A large castle stood in the center of a clearing. It was so beautiful, like something out of a fairytale, with tall towers and beautiful stone statues adorning the walls. The massive wooden doors swung open as the small group approached.  
  
But just as they passed through them, the doors quickly closed. A loud resounding boom was heard as the doors slammed shut. "What's going on here?" Tai shouted.  
  
"It's about time you children got here." A voice called out, laughing manically. A digimon appeared in front of the group, dressed in a black tux, with a high red collar.  
  
"I assume that you are Lokimon." Izzy stated.  
  
"Correct. Now, to get on with the fun." He waved his hand through the air. "You'll never trouble me where you're going."  
  
For a moment, Sora's head felt like it was swimming. Everything around her blurred and she had to close her eyes against the dizziness. When she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by dark stone walls. She turned and saw metal bars. She was in a prison of some kind. But what about the others?  
  
She looked around. Tai was standing next to her, with Izzy and Joe behind him. But all the digimon were missing. "Biyomon?!" She called out.   
  
"Over here, Sora." Came the reply. But it was coming from outside of the cell. She grabbed onto the bars and pressed her face against them. "Where?" She asked as she tried to look down the long corridor.  
  
"Over here." Biyomon said again. Sora could see her digimon's pink wing sticking out of another cell, waving at her. Sora let out a sigh of relief, knowing that Biyomon was safe.  
  
"Biyomon, are Agumon and the others with you?" Tai asked.  
  
"Yes. We're all here Tai." Agumon replied.  
  
"Good." Joe sighed.  
  
"Um, guys? Who's that?" Izzy asked as he pointed to the cell across from them.  
  
Sora looked and saw someone hiding in the shadows of the opposite cell. "Who are you?" She called out.  
  
The figure stepped forward. She was pretty, for a digimon, with exquisite black hair. Her dress barely fit her, although it looked great on her. "I am LadyLokimon." She replied weakly.   
  
Sora could see that she was holding on to the wall for support and she was breathing heavily. "Are you okay?"   
  
"What happened?" Joe asked.  
  
"I only wanted to help that boy. But Lokimon used him against me."  
  
"What do you mean? And why did Matt even need your help?" Tai replied, sounding a little irritated.  
  
"Your friend has a hidden past that none of you know about. It is a past that pains him terribly. I cannot tell you of it. It is not my place to divulge his secrets." She fell to her knees, and clutched the bars of her cell to keep from collapsing completely.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sora asked.  
  
Tai didn't give her a chance to reply. "Tell us what happened."  
  
"Lokimon has always wanted to get me out of the way, so that I wouldn't interfere with his games. And he finally discovered how to do just that. He placed your friend in an endless sleep. Then he told me that if I didn't obey him, he would force Matt to relive his most painful moments over and over again for eternity. I couldn't let him do that, so I surrendered."  
  
"Why don't you just escape and fix what he did?" Joe asked.  
  
"If only I could. Lokimon has drained my strength completely. And I am slowly being deleted."  
  
"Is there anyway to help Matt or you?" Sora asked.  
  
"Perhaps. If you could get me the gem that he wears around his neck. It has increased his powers far beyond normal. With that I could be repaired and I would have the strength to help Matt." She slumped forward, then fought to straighten herself again.  
  
"But how can we get the gem? We're locked in a cage." Tai exclaimed, kicking the bars to show his point.  
  
"I may be able to help you with that." She struggled to stand, grasping the bars tightly as she pulled herself up. Then she took in a deep breath and let go of the bars. For a moment, Sora thought that she would fall over. But she didn't. LadyLokimon raised her hands above her head.  
  
The Digidestined watched as a red glow appeared between her hands. LadyLokimon held it for a moment, then released it. A bright flash blinded Sora for a moment. But when she opened her eyes again, she saw that the bars were gone from her cell. In fact, the bars were gone from every cell.  
  
Sora rushed over to LadyLokimon, who was now lying on the floor. "LadyLokimon? Are you going to be all right?"  
  
"That was all I could do. I hope it was enough." She replied in labored breaths.   
  
"Can you walk?" Sora asked as she helped LadyLokimon to sit up.   
  
"I do not know." She replied.  
  
"Then I guess we're going to have to help you." Joe said, as he lent a hand in helping LadyLokimon to her feet. She stood unsteadily, but both Sora and Joe were there to keep her from falling, even though the digimon was taller than the both of them.  
  
"I summerize that this door is the only available exit?" Izzy remarked from somewhere down the corridor.  
  
LadyLokimon looked up for a moment. "Yes. It leads from one end of the castle to the other."  
  
"Interesting." Izzy replied.   
  
When the group got over to him, they found him typing on his computer, staring at the screen as lines of information quickly moved across it. Sora watched from over his shoulder as a diagram of the castle appeared.   
  
"What did you find Izzy?" She asked.  
  
"I was able to gain access to the castle's schematics. With this information, I can ascertain the quickest and most efficient route to our objective."  
  
"Can you repeat that again? In plain English, Izzy?" Tai said, a confused look on his face.  
  
"He said, that with this map, he'll be able to find the fastest way to Lokimon and the gem." Tentomon translated.  
  
"Well, okay then. Let's go."   
  
"This way." Izzy announced and led the way. Sora and Joe slowed them down quite a bit, since they were still helping LadyLokimon.  
  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
  
"Your digimon must digivolve if they wish to defeat Lokimon." LadyLokimon replied as they entered an eerily quiet room. The ceiling of this room was extremely high, as if it were made for giants. It was a huge room and reminded Sora of a ballroom. If it weren't for how quiet it was, she would have expected to see couples waltzing around the dance floor.  
  
"Lokimon, show yourself!" Tai shouted defiantly.  
  
They could hear his laughter, long before he appeared before them. "I see you've allied yourselves with my former associate." He laughed.  
  
"Give us the gem, or we'll take it from you." Tai yelled.  
  
"Then I guess you'll have to take it from me. Let's see what you children can do."  
  
"Guys, Digivolve." Tai shouted.  
  
"Right." All the digimon agreed in unison.  
  
In a flash of light, all four digimon had digivolved to their next levels. Agumon was Greymon, Biyomon was Birdramon, Gomamon was Ikkakumon, and Tentomon was Kabuterimon. They all attacked at once.  
  
"Nova Blast!" shouted Greymon.  
  
"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon said, from high above the group. Luckily the ceilings were high.  
  
Kabuterimon yelled, "Electro Shocker!"  
  
While Ikkakumon said, "Harpoon Torpedo!"  
  
But, Lokimon dodged each attack without any effort. He waved his hand in the air, and Ikkakumon went flying into a nearby wall. Kabuterimon also flew backwards, hitting Birdramon and knocking her to the floor.  
  
"This will do no good." LadyLokimon said to Sora. "The gem makes him too powerful. You will never defeat him as long as he has that."  
  
Sora wished that Mimi had come. Then she could have used Palmon to grab the gem with her vines. Suddenly, Sora got an idea. She turned to LadyLokimon. "Do you have any strength left?"  
  
"A little. But why?" The digimon looked back at her, confusion spreading across her face.  
  
"Can you bring Mimi and Palmon here? We could really use their help."  
  
"I will try." She replied. LadyLokimon closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed as she concentrated.  
  
A moment later, Palmon and Mimi appeared in a flash of red light. "How did we get here?" Palmon asked, as Mimi wrapped her arms around her digimon in fear.  
  
LadyLokimon slumped against Joe and Sora, who had still been holding her up. She finally got too heavy for them and they were forced to put her down. "She helped." Joe replied as he gestured to the now unconscious digimon.  
  
Sora jumped up. "Listen, we don't have time to explain." She grabbed Mimi and pointed toward the gem around Lokimon's neck. "See that gem?"  
  
"Yes." Mimi nodded.  
  
"We need it. Lokimon's too strong for us while he's got it."  
  
"Okay." Mimi replied, although she sounded completely confused. "But you will tell me what's going on, after we're done, right?"  
  
"Just get it and we'll fill you in later."  
  
Palmon stepped forward. Sora watched as Lokimon was distracted by Greymon and the others. Palmon took this opportunity to stretch out her vines and grab the gem. As she tried to pull it away, Lokimon saw her and grabbed onto the chain around his neck.  
  
"Oh, no you don't." He said, trying to pull the gem away from Palmon's vines.  
  
Greymon tackled Lokimon while his attention was elsewhere and the chain broke. "Got it!" Shouted Palmon happily.  
  
She handed the gem over to Sora. "Thanks Palmon." Sora replied as she turned to LadyLokimon. "Here we got it."  
  
LadyLokimon opened her eyes slightly and slowly reached out to take the gem. "No!" Lokimon shouted from behind Sora. But Sora ignored him.   
  
As soon as LadyLokimon had touched the smooth surface of the red gem, her strength returned completely. She stood and faced Lokimon. "So, you dare to betray me?" LadyLokimon spoke as she stepped toward the evil digimon.  
  
"I was only having a little fun." Lokimon whimpered, obviously afraid of the other digimon.   
  
"You will not have another opportunity to betray me. You cannot be allowed to hurt others. I am sorry for this." She raised her hands toward him. "Death Scream!" She shouted.   
  
A dark energy shot out from her hands. The energy seemed to suck in all the light around it, making it appear black in color. It hit Lokimon with such force that it sent him flying backwards. His body made a huge dent in the wall as he hit it.  
  
He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Abruptly the beam of dark energy ceased. The Digidestined watched as Lokimon's body disintegrated into a millions of tiny pieces, then vanished completely.  
  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
  
"Wow!" Tai exclaimed.  
  
Agumon and the other digimon that had fought against Lokimon, turned back into their In-Training levels. Tai and the other kids picked up their friends and held them as LadyLokimon turned to them.  
  
"Thank you for your assistance." She said, a tear falling from her eye.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sora asked, noticing the tear.  
  
"Lokimon had been my only companion for so long. I wish there had been another way." Her voice sounded so sad. But then she smiled. "Well, it is time to help your friend."  
  
LadyLokimon waved her hand in the air. In an instant, the Digidestined and their digimon were back at their campsite. T.K. ran over to Mimi. "Mimi! I was so worried when you disappeared. I thought something terrible had happened." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist.  
  
Mimi laughed. "Stop, your tickling me." T.K. pulled away from her, smiling. "And I'm glad to see you too."  
  
LadyLokimon stepped past Mimi and T.K. She walked over to Matt and knelt beside him. "What's she doing?" T.K. asked quietly.  
  
"She's going to help Matt." Sora replied, placing her hand on the boy's shoulder.  
  
Everyone watched as LadyLokimon placed her hand on Matt's forehead. She closed her eyes. A slight reddish glow appeared between her fingers. The glow disappeared quickly and LadyLokimon took her hand away from Matt.  
  
"It is done." She said as she stood. "If you will excuse my haste, I feel I must leave now. I believe your friend will be alarmed by my presence. I would rather he not feel uncomfortable. Goodbye." She closed her eyes again and vanished.  
  
Sora and the others ran to Matt's side. T.K. knelt down and shook his brother's shoulder. Matt's eyes slowly opened and he yawned as he sat up. T.K. threw his arms around Matt. The others quickly did the same.  
  
"What's going on guys? Did I miss something?" Matt asked, totally confused.  
  
Sora and the others laughed as they all pulled away from him. "Yeah, you missed all the fun." Tai joked.  
  
"We'll tell you all about it, after we get something to eat. I'm starving." Joe said.  
  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
  
Once again, everyone was asleep, except for him, and Tai who stood watch. It was that nightmare again. He just couldn't forget. And now the others knew he was hiding something. They had told him that, when they had explained what had happened to him. But at least they hadn't asked him to tell them. They had told him that they would wait until he was ready.  
  
He had just awakened from that nightmare, his body drenched in sweat. He couldn't help but shiver as he wiped some of the sweat away. It wasn't because he was cold, but because of the memories the nightmares brought up. Matt stood and walked away from camp. Tai stopped him before he got too far. "Where you going?" Tai asked.  
  
"Just for a walk. Don't worry, I won't go far." Matt replied.  
  
"Why don't you take Gabumon?"   
  
"He's sleeping. I don't want to wake him. I'm sure I'll be fine. I just want to be alone for a little while." Matt turned and walked away. Tai didn't try to stop him.  
  
He stopped by the river where he had met Lokimon and LadyLokimon. The group hadn't done any traveling that day, so it was pretty easy for Matt to find the river again. They basically had spent the day telling Matt what had happened while he was unconscious.   
  
Matt stared up at the night sky. He pulled out his harmonica, but he didn't put it to his lips. He just held it, flipping it over and over again in his hands. It was just a way to keep his hands busy, to keep them from shaking. Tears burned the corners of his eyes, but he held them back. He didn't want to cry.  
  
"Matt?" Sora called out.  
  
"Over here." Matt replied, not bothering to look where she was.  
  
"I thought I'd never find you." She said as she sat beside him.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I just wanted to see how you were doing. Besides, I think Tai is getting worried about you."  
  
"So?" He shrugged. He didn't really care if Tai was worried.  
  
"Come on Matt. You going to have to tell someone sometime. Don't you trust us?"  
  
Matt spun around to face her. How could she think that he didn't trust them? "It's not that. I trust you guys with my life. It's just that I don't want T.K. to find out. He doesn't need to be burdened with it."  
  
"If you tell me, I promise not to breathe a word of it to anyone else." She gently placed her hand on his shoulder.  
  
Matt looked at her carefully, looking for any sign of deception, any sign to tell him that she was lying. But all he saw was compassion in her eyes. All she wanted to do was help him. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.   
  
"T.K. and I are only half-brothers. We have the same father, but different mothers. That's why when his mother divorced my dad, he went with her and I was left with him. But T.K. isn't my only sibling."  
  
"What?" Sora exclaimed, obviously shocked.  
  
"I had an older sister."  
  
"Had? What happened to her?"  
  
"I was only four when it happened. But I can remember it so clearly, as if it only happened yesterday." As Matt spoke, the memories came flooding back to him. He relived each and every one of those horrible moments in vivid memory.  
  
  
Flashback  
  
  
They were walking through the park. His older sister, Jenna was holding him carefully in her arms. Sure, he could walk, but she was always picking him up and carrying him. She was thirteen and was always nice to him. Their mother walked beside them. Their father wasn't there. He wasn't there most of the time anyway, not since the divorce. He had found someone knew.   
  
Matt couldn't understand why he didn't have a family like the rest of his friends. Their parents lived together in one house, but not Matt's. His father lived in another town with his new wife.   
  
Matt looked up at his mother. She was beautiful. Of course, that's what every little boy thought of their mother, but she really was beautiful. Her hair was so long and flowed down her back like liquid gold. Her eyes were bluer than any ocean. But her smile was what Matt liked. It was perfect. That smile always cheered him up when he was sad. And his sister had that same smile. In fact, Jenna looked a lot like their mother.  
  
"It's getting dark." Their mother said in her beautiful, melodious voice. "It's time to go home."  
  
"Aw, can't we stay out a little longer?" Jenna whined.  
  
"No, it's getting late." Their mother stated.  
  
Just then laughter broke out from somewhere behind them. Matt struggled his way out of Jenna's grasp. He hid behind her as she turned to see who was laughing. His mother also looked, and Matt peeked around his sister so that he could see too.  
  
Two scary looking men walked out of the darkness. "Well, what do we have here?" One of them said in a voice that scared Matt. Matt knew that something bad was going to happen.  
  
Their mother turned to Jenna. "Go. Take Matt and get out of here." She whispered to her daughter.  
  
Jenna picked him up and ran away. But she didn't get far. One of the men caught up with her and pushed her forward. Jenna lost her balance and fell into some bushes. She hid Matt as best as she could, before the man grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up.   
  
From where Matt was hiding, he could see everything. The two men forced his mother and his sister down on the ground. The men cut off their clothes with long sharp knives. Matt's sister and mother fought against them. They both screamed as the men laid down on top of them. Matt didn't understand everything that had happened until he was a little older. But still, he knew they were hurting his mother and sister. He wanted to help, but he was frozen in fear.  
  
When they had finished whatever they had been doing, they zipped up their pants. Then they started cutting into their skin with the knives they held. Matt covered his ears and clamped his eyes shut. He didn't want to hear the screams anymore, he didn't want to see what was happening to his sister and mother. But even with his hands over his ears, he could hear the screaming.  
  
Then it stopped. Matt took a chance and opened his eyes. The two men were walking away, laughing and joking. He took his hands away from his ears as he stood. He made sure the men were really gone before he stepped out of the bushes.  
  
Matt sat between his mother and sister. He looked from his mother to his sister. They weren't moving. Their clothes were soaked in blood. There was so much blood. It covered the ground around and under him. He couldn't have avoided it even if he had wanted to.   
  
He put his hand against his mother's shoulder and pushed as hard as he could. But she didn't move. So he turned to his sister and did the same. She didn't move either. This was wrong and he knew it. He wasn't sure what was wrong, but he knew it was bad. Matt started crying.  
  
  
End of Flashback  
  
  
Throughout the entire story, Matt had kept his tears away. "You don't know what it's like to see something like that when you're so young. You can't understand what's happening, and you can't do anything to help."  
  
"Oh, Matt. That's so awful." Sora's eyes were glistening with tears.  
  
Seeing her, about to cry, sent Matt over the edge. He let his own tears out. They streamed down his face, but he didn't care. "I don't want T.K. to know he had a sister. I don't want him to know how he lost the sister he never knew he had." He said between sobs.  
  
Sora wrapped her arms around him. He laid his head on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her, and crying uncontrollably now. Sora just stroked the back of his head, and spoke softly. "Sshh, it'll be okay. It'll be just between us. No one else has to know."   
  
She held him there, letting him cry on her shoulder. He was so grateful to have a friend like her. Now he wasn't alone. Someone else finally knew his secret.  
  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
  
The nightmares were getting worse. It wasn't just his mother and sister getting raped and killed. Everyone else was dying too. All his friends were killed, and all the digimon were butchered. Ever since he had told Sora, it had just gotten worse.  
  
The others were talking about which way they should go. He tried to slip away quietly. But Gabumon saw him leave. "Where are you going, Matt?"  
  
"I'm taking LadyLokimon up on her offer. I want to forget." He said, as he kept walking.  
  
"You sure you can trust her?" Gabumon asked, walking beside him.  
  
"She saved me from Lokimon. I guess she's okay. But I just want to forget. I don't care what it takes."  
  
When he thought he was far enough away, Matt stopped. "LadyLokimon?" he called out, hoping she hadn't forgotten about him.  
  
"You called me?" LadyLokimon replied as she appeared in front of Matt and Gabumon.  
  
"I want to forget." Matt stated.  
  
"Are you absolutely sure of this?"  
  
"Yes." Matt nodded.  
  
"Then I will need to possess something you treasure, if this is to work." She held her hand out.  
  
Matt thought for a moment. He really didn't have anything. He had left most of his stuff in the real world. Then, he remembered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his harmonica.  
  
"Matt, no. Not your harmonica." Gabumon argued.   
  
"It's all I have." He replied, handing it over to LadyLokimon.  
  
"Thank you. Tomorrow morning at dawn, you will not remember that most painful memory." LadyLokimon smiled. She bowed slightly and vanished.  
  
Matt turned to Gabumon. "I don't want you to tell the others."  
  
"But Matt . . ." Gabumon started to argue, but Matt cut him off.  
  
"No. I don't want them to know. Promise me that you won't tell."  
  
"I cannot promise that I will not tell." Gabumon replied as he bowed his head. Matt was shocked. Gabumon spoke again. "But I can promise that I will only tell them if your life is endangered by the spell of that digimon."  
  
Matt nodded and returned to the others. They hadn't even noticed him leaving. When he got back, Tai and the others were still arguing over which way they should go. Matt watched them and smiled. Soon, he wouldn't remember what had happened to his sister and mother. Soon he'd be happy.  
  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
  
Matt woke up before dawn. He stood and stretched his arms. For the first time in so long, he hadn't had that nightmare. He wondered why. It wasn't dawn yet. He still remembered what had happened to his sister and mother. But for some reason the memory didn't hurt as much.  
  
He walked away from camp, wanting to get a better view of the rising sun. He rarely saw the sun as it rose. As he stepped past Gabumon, the digimon woke up. Matt could hear Gabumon following him as he found higher ground.  
  
"Why did you come up here?" Gabumon asked as he sat beside Matt on the hill overlooking a field of wild flowers.  
  
"I wanted to see the sun rise." Matt replied. A dull ache began in his head, but Matt just shrugged it off.  
  
"Are you okay, Matt?" Gabumon asked, looking very concerned.  
  
Matt tried to stand, but fell back down. He felt dizzy, very dizzy, and it was getting harder to breathe. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his skull. He clutched the sides of his head and fell to the side, yelling out in agony. He didn't even know that Gabumon was still by his side. The pain was intense, his breaths coming in short gasps.  
  
Then, all the pain was gone. Matt sat up and looked around. Nothing was familiar to him, not even the strange creature that was asking if he was okay. He turned and saw the sun as it finished rising over a field of wildflowers.   
  
"Matt, are you okay?" That odd creature asked agin.   
  
This time, Matt turned to it. "Who are you?" He asked.  
  
"Who am I? Do you mean that you do not recognize me?"  
  
"That's right Gabumon." A familiar voice called out. Matt and Gabumon turned their heads and saw LadyLokimon hovering just a few feet from the ground. She was smiling. He recognized her immediately. Hers was the only face he recognized.  
  
"What did you do to him?" He demanded. Matt turned his attention back to Gabumon.  
  
"I gave him what he wanted. He wanted to forget, so I helped him forget. Now, he's mine." She wrapped her arms around Matt's shoulders, letting her hands rest on his chest. But Matt didn't make a move to push her away.  
  
"What do you mean?" Gabumon asked.  
  
"He's mine. He belongs to me."  
  
"Matt is that true?"  
  
"She is my master. That is all I remember." Matt replied coldly and without emotion.  
  
"And since he's mine, and you are his protector, you are mine too." She held her hand out to Gabumon.   
  
Gabumon looked shocked as the metal collar appeared around his neck. "What is this?" He asked as he touched the metal collar with his paw.  
  
"That is to ensure your loyalty."  
  
"I would never be disloyal to Matt. He is my friend." Gabumon said, taking his paw away from the collar.  
  
"Matt? Can I order your friend to do something?" LadyLokimon asked in a sweet voice.  
  
"You can do anything you wish. I am your servant." Matt replied without any feeling.  
  
LadyLokimon turned her attention back to Gabumon. "You heard him. Now, will you do as I wish?"  
  
Matt watched as Gabumon replied hesitantly. "Yes."  
  
"Very good. Now, go back to the other Digidestined and tell them that Matt is no longer one of them. Make up some story, then return to my castle. We will be waiting for you." LadyLokimon wrapped her arms even tighter around Matt, who didn't care at all. He did belong to her. He saw Gabumon watching as she lifted him into the air and vanished.  
  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
  
Sora paced around camp. Biyomon wanted to know what was wrong, but she couldn't tell her why she was worried about Matt. She had promised not to tell anyone what they had talked about. He had disappeared and now she was worried that he might do something foolish because of the pain he felt. How could she tell the others about her worries without telling them about what Matt had told her?   
  
T.K. walked up to her and tugged on her shirt. "Sora? Where's Matt?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
She looked around and noticed that the others were waking up too. "I don't know T.K."  
  
"What, you mean Matt's not here?" Mimi asked with panic in her voice.  
  
"Calm down Mimi. I'm sure he's fine." Tai said confidently.  
  
Sora wished she could be as sure as he was. She was about to say something, when she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. She turned, hoping to see Matt and Gabumon returning from wherever they had gone. Only Gabumon stepped out of the bushes.  
  
"Where's Matt?" Sora asked.  
  
"And what's that around your neck?" Joe added.  
  
Gabumon never took his eyes off the ground as he spoke. "Matt is with LadyLokimon at her home. I will be joining them there shortly."  
  
"What?!" Tai shouted. "Why did he leave?"  
  
"Last night, he took LadyLokimon up on her offer. He has forgotten."  
  
"Well that's good, but why did he go with her?" Joe replied.  
  
"She tricked him. She tricked us all. LadyLokimon is an evil digimon. She made Matt forget, but she made him forget everything, including us. He now believes that he is a loyal servant to LadyLokimon."  
  
"Is there anything we can do?" Gomamon asked.  
  
"I do not see how you can help." Gabumon turned and walked away. "Goodbye." He said solemnly.  
  
Sora wanted to go after him, but stopped herself. There would be no point. If he was with Matt, maybe he could protect him. But he couldn't do anything here.  
  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
  
"What do you think we should do?" Izzy asked. They had just spent the last five hours arguing over how they were going to get Matt back, but none of them could come up with a good plan.   
  
"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Tai shouted to the others.   
  
Izzy was becoming quite annoyed with Tai's eagerness to rush into the situation. "Perhaps if we had an opportunity to communicate with Matt, we could be able to remind him of his past." Izzy said, taking his eyes away from his computer screen.  
  
"But how are we going to get anywhere near him?" Mimi asked. Izzy could see tears in her eyes. She was taking this rather hard. Izzy wondered if she would be that concerned if he was missing.  
  
"I believe that if we go to LadyLokimon's castle, she will, most likely, want to test Matt's loyalty." Izzy replied.  
  
"Is that all you can come up with?" Tai asked.  
  
Izzy glared at him, "Can you think of a better strategy?"  
  
Tai lowered his head. "No, I can't"  
  
"Well then, don't criticize my theories." Izzy replied.  
  
"But that's all you have, theories." Tai shouted agin.  
  
Tai was right, all Izzy had was a few theories, but he wasn't about to let anyone else know that. Izzy wished he could be certain that his idea would work. Maybe Matt wouldn't recognize them.  
  
"Can we leave now?" Joe asked, snapping Izzy out of his thoughts.  
  
Mimi stepped up beside him, "Yeah, can we go?"   
  
"Okay. Everybody ready?" Tai shouted.  
  
Izzy replied quietly. "Yes." He was having doubts. What if it wasn't a good plan? What if they weren't able to get Matt to remember them?  
  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
  
Joe was terrified. The sight of the castle scared him far more than he thought it would. Of course, the castle was different than he remembered. It wasn't as pleasant as before. It seemed to be a dark copy of the lovely building they had been to before. The stones were black and the pretty statues were replaced by ugly, monstrous gargoyles.  
  
He wanted to turn and run at the sight of the castle, but he couldn't leave Matt. Matt was his friend and he needed help. No matter how scared he was, Joe would never desert a friend that needed help. He would hate himself if he did that.  
  
Still, even though he wouldn't leave, he whimpered when he talked. "Guys, I have a bad feeling about this."  
  
"You have a bad feeling about everything." Gomamon stated.  
  
"Halt!" A familiar voice shouted.   
  
They all looked and saw Matt standing in front of the gate. Beside him stood Gabumon, although the digimon didn't look very happy. "Matt!" Mimi exclaimed as she took a step toward him.  
  
But Gabumon stepped between her and Matt, raising his paws threateningly. "What do you people want?" Matt asked coldly.  
  
"We came to help you." Mimi announced.  
  
"I don't need your help. Go away." Matt turned and walked back toward the gate.  
  
"We won't leave you Matt." Joe shouted before he even knew he had opened his mouth.  
  
Matt stopped but didn't turn. "Why do you people care about me?"  
  
"We're your friends." Tai replied.  
  
"But I don't know you. I don't know any of you." Matt turned to face them.  
  
"Yes you do. You're just under the spell of that evil digimon." Sora said.  
  
"No. LadyLokimon has always been my master."  
  
"That is incorrect. You are being controlled by her." Izzy stated.  
  
Matt turned to Gabumon. "Is it true?" He asked quietly.  
  
Gabumon nodded as Mimi spoke. "Of course it's true. Try to remember us. Please try."  
  
Matt shook his head, then stared defiantly at the group before them. Joe was getting that bad feeling again. "I don't know any of you!" He shouted.  
  
"Matt, are these children bothering you?" LadyLokimon asked in a sweet voice as she appeared before them.  
  
"They say I am their friend. But I don't have any memories of them." Matt told her.  
  
LadyLokimon hovered just a few inches above the ground. She turned to Joe and the others. "You shouldn't have come for him. Now, I'll have to get rid of you." She smiled and waved her arm in the air.  
  
Joe closed his eyes tightly, sure that she would kill them in some horrible way. When nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes. He wasn't dead, wasn't hurt in any way. He wasn't even in danger of being hurt. He and the others were standing in a cell.   
  
It was the same as before. The Digidestined were there, except for Matt, but the digimon weren't. "Gomamon, you okay?" Joe shouted.  
  
"Yeah Joe. And the others are fine too." Gomamon replied in a bored tone.  
  
"Well, now what do we do?" Joe asked as he sat on the stone floor.  
  
"I guess we come up with another plan." Sora suggested.  
  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
  
"Time for bed." LadyLokimon said kindly to Matt. "I want you to get a good night's rest before the executions tomorrow."  
  
"As you wish." Matt bowed, then turned away from her. He went into the castle and walked to his quarters. Gabumon walked beside him, quietly.  
  
He entered the room. It was small, but he really didn't need any more. There was a bed and that was really all he needed. This was just a place for him to rest, to sleep at night.  
  
He lay on his bed. Gabumon curled up at the foot of the bed. Matt tried to remember him. He seemed to be a good friend, so loyal. Thoughts entered his mind as he lay there, unable to sleep for some reason. Were those people his friends? Had LadyLokimon taken his memories away? And if she had, how could he get them back?  
  
For hours he thought and thought. He tried to convince himself that what those people had told him were lies. But there was always a piece of doubt nagging him. They seemed to be good people. And even if they weren't his friends they didn't deserve to die.  
  
Matt hopped out of bed, waking Gabumon as he got up. "Where are you going?" Gabumon asked.   
  
This felt strangely familiar to Matt, but he shook the feeling off. "I've decided to let those people go."  
  
"Do you remember them?"  
  
"No. But they don't deserve to die, whoever they are."   
  
Matt opened his door slowly and glanced up and down the corridors before exiting. Finally, he stepped out of his room and walked down the dimly lit corridor. Gabumon trailed close behind him. He couldn't help but feel scared as he made his way through the castle, searching for the people that had told him they were friends of his. If LadyLokimon found him wandering around, who knew what she would do.  
  
The sound of crying caught his attention. He turned the corner, following the sound. Soon, he came to a locked door. Matt turned to Gabumon. "Can you open it?"  
  
"I will try." Gabumon said as he slashed at the wooden door with his claws. Eventually the wood broke away and Matt kicked the door open.  
  
He entered slowly, still hearing the crying. He wondered who it was. Maybe it was one of the people he was looking for. Then he saw her, a young girl about his age, sitting on the floor on the other side of the room. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her head was resting against her knees, as she cried.  
  
She raised her head and looked up at Matt. "Who are you?" She asked in a weak voice.   
  
Matt approached her slowly, not wanting to frighten her. She looked so tired, so weak. He could see the bones in her arms and wondered how long it had been since she'd eaten. Her long black hair just hung limply around her head, framing her pale face. In her hyacinth eyes, he could see fear.  
  
"I'm Matt. Who are you?"  
  
"My name's Raven, and that's my sister, Alana." The girl pointed toward a bed.  
  
Matt looked and saw a girl, closely resembling Raven, laying in the bed. He could see the rising and falling of her chest as she breathed. But she looked very ill. Matt turned back to Raven. "Why were you crying?"  
  
"My sister's sick. Our digimon were taken from us by LadyLokimon. And I haven't eaten in so long." She started crying again. Her entire body shook as she sobbed.  
  
Matt sat next to her. He reached out hesitantly, wanting to comfort her, but not sure how. He placed his hand on her knee, hoping that if she knew he was there, she might cheer up.  
  
He was surprised when she buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around him quickly. Matt wasn't sure what to do next, so he just let his instincts take over. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.  
  
"Have you come to save us?" Alana asked from the bed. Matt nearly jumped when she spoke. He hadn't expected her to wake up any time soon.  
  
"I guess I could help you." Matt replied. He didn't know these girls, but he couldn't just let them suffer.  
  
"You guess? Did you come here to save us or not?" Alana asked. She sounded annoyed, unusual for someone that was so sick.  
  
Matt let go of Raven and stood. He didn't need this. He had enough troubles of his own. If they didn't want his help, so be it. He walked over to the door. Gabumon stepped in front of him.  
  
"You cannot just leave them here. I do not think they can make it on their own."  
  
"Do I know them, like you say I know the others?" Matt asked, feeling very confused.  
  
"No, I do not believe that you have ever met them."  
  
"Then why should I help them?" Matt asked.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Raven asked from behind him.  
  
Matt spun around and saw Raven standing there. She was holding onto a bedpost for support, but at least she was standing. Matt suddenly found himself feeling ashamed. "I'm just so totally confused." He said as he fell to his knees. He put his hands to his head and leaned forward, just wishing that he had never left his room.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Matt heard Raven ask Gabumon.  
  
"LadyLokimon tricked him and has erased all of his memories. His friends are being held somewhere in this castle. He does not remember them, but he does not want them to die." Gabumon stated.  
  
"Did he give LadyLokimon something that belonged to him, something he treasured?"  
  
"Yes. He gave her his harmonica."   
  
Matt sat up. "I have a harmonica?"  
  
"Not anymore. You gave it to LadyLokimon in return for freeing you from your painful memories. But unfortunately, she erased more than just that one memory." Gabumon told him.  
  
"What did I want to forget?" Matt asked.  
  
"I do not know. You would not tell me, or anyone else." Gabumon replied. He turned to face Raven, "So, did giving her the harmonica have something to do with this?"  
  
"Yes. If you can get the harmonica back, she won't be able to control him anymore. All his memories will come back." Alana said from the bed.  
  
"Then we must get it back." Gabumon said.  
  
"But what about those other people?" Matt asked. "Can we help them first? LadyLokimon plans to execute them in the morning."  
  
"I might know where they are." Raven said.  
  
"Where?" asked both Matt and Gabumon at the same time.  
  
"I can show you, but you have to take Alana and me with you." Raven stated.  
  
Matt thought for a moment. He really didn't want to endanger them. What if LadyLokimon found them before they got to the others? She'd kill them all for certain. "Okay." He finally answered.  
  
Matt walked over to the bed. He put one arm under Alana's knees and his other around her back. Then he lifted her. Matt couldn't believe how light she was, but then again she hadn't eaten for awhile.   
  
"Go ahead." Matt said to Raven. He let her lead the way. She walked slowly, holding the walls for support. She was so weak. Matt wondered how long she and Alana had been held captive there.  
  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
  
Sora was pacing. She couldn't help it, she was nervous. Tai came up beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get out of here somehow." He reassured her.  
  
She smiled at him. Sometimes he could be so nice. She appreciated his kindness. "Thanks."  
  
"For what?" Tai asked.  
  
"For trying to cheer me up." Sora replied, as she stepped closer to the bars of the cell, away from Tai.  
  
Then she heard a door opening somewhere down the corridor. She pressed her face to the bars, trying to see as much of the corridor as she could. But she couldn't see who was coming.  
  
"Who is it?" Joe asked.  
  
"I don't know." She waited, watching. Then she saw Matt and Gabumon walking toward the cell. Matt was carrying a young girl, and another girl was struggling to walk in front of him. Gabumon did his best to keep her from falling.  
  
"Matt!" She exclaimed. The others all came up behind Sora, asking if it really was Matt. "Of course it's really Matt." Sora replied.  
  
Sora stepped back from the bars as Matt got closer. She and the others watched as Matt kneeled down closer to the floor and carefully put the girl down. The other girl, who had been standing, also sat. She looked totally exhausted.  
  
"Can you open it?" Matt asked Gabumon as he stepped over to the cell.  
  
"I do not think so. We need to find the key." Replied Gabumon.  
  
"There is no key." LadyLokimon's voice called out, although she never appeared. "I am very disappointed in you Matt."  
  
"I am sorry. But I didn't think they deserved to die." Matt said.  
  
The dizziness overcame Sora and she had to close her eyes. Once again, when she opened them, she was someplace different. She was getting to hate that mode of transportation.   
  
They were standing in that ballroom again, but the walls were covered in black cloths. Sora looked around and saw that all the digimon were also there. Matt was standing between LadyLokimon and the friends that he still couldn't remember.  
  
"Why did you do this to Matt?" Tai shouted.  
  
"I just wanted to have a little fun." LadyLokimon replied. "Lokimon didn't exist. He never existed. I created him. He was all just a part of an elaborate scheme to get others to trust me. And when I saw Matt, I just knew I had to get him to trust me too."  
  
"But why?" Mimi asked.  
  
"He would only hand over a valuable treasure to someone he trusted. And without that, I would have no control over him." She held up Matt's harmonica. Then she turned to Matt. "You betrayed me. I don't like it when people betray me." She scratched one of her long red nails over the surface of Matt's harmonica.  
  
As if she had done it to them, Matt and Gabumon fell to the ground screaming in pain. Sora ran to Matt's side, fearing for his life, while Biyomon and some of the others ran to Gabumon. She knew T.K. was right behind her. Matt was clutching his head and breathing in short ragged gasps.   
  
"Stop it!" Sora shouted.  
  
"Fine." LadyLokimon said as she put the harmonica away. Of course the only place she could put it, was down the front of her tight dress.  
  
Sora looked down at Matt. He kept his hands on his head, and he was still struggling for breath. She glared up at LadyLokimon, feeling enraged by what she had done to her friend. "You monster." She hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
"Why don't you tell Matt what he wanted to forget?" Lady Lokimon replied, not sounding the least bit hurt by what Sora had said. "I know he told you. Let's see who he chooses to go with when he finds out."  
  
"Sora, you know?" Tai asked.  
  
"I promised I wouldn't tell." She replied, without looking at Tai.  
  
"Either you tell him, or I will." LadyLokimon said.  
  
Sora looked down at Matt. He was breathing much better now, and he no longer held onto his head. "Tell me." He whispered.  
  
Sora could barely talk. Her throat hurt so much. She just wanted to cry, but knew that she had to be strong. The others crowded around as she spoke. Even the two girls who looked too weak to even stand had somehow made it over to them. Sora looked back down at Matt. She helped him to sit, then told him what he had told her. By the end of the story, Matt's eyes were filled with tears and T.K. was sobbing uncontrollably.   
  
"So, Matt, what is your decision? Will you stay with me, or go with them?" LadyLokimon asked, not the slightest bit moved by the story.  
  
Matt stood, wiping his tears away as he moved. "Why would I want to remember something like that?" He hissed.   
  
Sora could only watch as Matt walked over to LadyLokimon and stood by her side. He had chosen, it was his decision after all. "Matt, no!" T.K. yelled out. Sora held him back as he tried to run to his brother's side. "Don't leave me."  
  
"He's mine. Now, it's time to say goodbye to all of you." LadyLokimon replied as she raised her arms.  
  
"No!" Matt shouted. He grabbed the gem from around LadyLokimon's neck and threw it to the ground, smashing it completely.  
  
"How dare you?!" LadyLokimon screamed. "You will pay for destroying that." She shot a beam of dark energy at Matt, knocking him into the wall. He fell limply to the floor.  
  
"Looks like it's time to fight." Tai announced. "Digivolve Agumon."  
  
Agumon digivolved to Greymon. The others also digivolved to their champion levels. The last to Digivolve was Patamon as he turned into Angemon. They all attacked. Without her gem, LadyLokimon seemed to lose all her power. She was able to dodge most of the attacks, but she was no match for all of them. Just before Angemon attacked, she disappeared.   
  
Her words could he heard, even though she was gone. "I'll get my revenge. You'll pay for this."  
  
Sora ran over to Matt. He wasn't moving. There was a gash in the side of his head, bleeding badly. "We have to do something."   
  
Joe ran over and knelt beside Sora and Matt. He did the best he could, and bandaged his head. Sora hoped it was enough. Joe was the closest thing they had to a doctor.  
  
  
Chapter Seventeen  
  
  
Tai watched from afar as Joe bandaged Matt's head. He couldn't help but feel responsible. Maybe if he had been a better leader, none of this would have happened. And they hadn't even defeated LadyLokimon. She was still out there. And she could attack them at any minute.  
  
Then he watched as Joe went over to the two strange girls. Tai was curious about them. Where had they come from? Who were they? And why were they here?  
  
He walked over and knelt beside them "Who are you?" He asked.  
  
"I'm Alana," said one of the sickly looking girls. Her eyes were a deep blue, while the other's were purplish. "And this is my sister, Raven."  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Gennai needed our help fighting against LadyLokimon. But we failed and she was able to get the gem. With the gem, her powers were increased and she was able to trick the entire Digiworld into thinking that she was good. Even Gennai was fooled by her. She also convinced him that we were dead, killed by Lokimon. And Lokimon didn't even exist." Alana said.  
  
"Where are your digimon?"  
  
"They're dead." Raven replied.  
  
"LadyLokimon made us watch as she killed them." Alana said, glumly.  
  
"That's horrible." Joe stated.  
  
"Guys, I believe the time has come for us to depart." Izzy interrupted.  
  
Tai turned to him. "Why? LadyLokimon left. She wouldn't stick around here."  
  
"That is besides the point. Alana and Raven aren't at the peak physical condition. I believe that they require more help than they can possibly receive here. As does Matt." Izzy replied.  
  
Tai looked over at Matt again. Sora and T.K. were both kneeling beside him. Izzy was right, they couldn't stay here. Matt, Raven, and Alana all needed help. But where would they be able to find anyone that could help. There weren't any hospitals or doctors in the Digiworld.  
  
"But where are we going to take them?" Tai asked as he turned back to Izzy.  
  
Mimi stepped forward. "I don't care where we go, as long as we leave here." She walked over to Raven and helped the girl up. Palmon stood on the other side of the sick girl.  
  
"Yes, maybe we'll come across someone that can be of assistance." Izzy replied as he and Joe helped Alana to her feet. Tentomon and Gomamon stayed close by.  
  
"Fine." Tai gave in. He walked over to Sora and T.K. "We're leaving." He told them.  
  
"But Matt is hurt." Gabumon said. "Do you think it is wise to move him?"  
  
"Well, we can't stay here." Matt replied as he knelt next to Matt. He slid his arm under Matt's back. At the same time, Tai grabbed his wrist and draped Matt's arm over his shoulders.  
  
Sora took hold of Matt's other wrist and did the same. T.K. just stood, lifting Patamon off the ground. "Ready?" Sora asked.  
  
"Okay, lift." Tai said as he lifted Matt to his feet. He heard his friend moan as he was moved, but he didn't wake up. Matt's head slumped forward as Tai and Sora dragged him across the floor.  
  
  
Chapter Eighteen  
  
  
They hadn't gotten too far. The group had already been tired before they had left LadyLokimon's castle, and with most of them helping someone else to walk, they quickly had needed time to rest. So they set up camp sometime before sunset.   
  
Matt had been drifting in and out of consciousness all night. Raven was sitting next to him. So were T.K., Gabumon, Patamon, Sora and Biyomon. They all looked terribly worried about him. But Raven looked more concerned than the others.  
  
Izzy closed his computer and stood. Tentomon looked up at him. "Something wrong, Izzy?"  
  
"No. Why do you ask?"  
  
"You looked distracted by something."  
  
"Really, I am fine." Izzy replied. He looked around at the group. Joe and Mimi were sitting together. Their digimon were having a conversation. Tai was sitting by himself, and Agumon was watching him with a worried expression on his face.   
  
But Izzy's interests lied elsewhere. He turned his attention to Alana. She was leaning against a tree. Izzy was curious about her. Why hadn't Gennai told them about Alana and Raven?   
  
As Izzy watched her, Alana stretched out her hand, trying to reach something that was just out of her grasp. Izzy stood and walked over to her. "Do you need some help?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, please." She replied. Her voice sounded weak and tired.  
  
Izzy bent and picked up the object she had been trying to reach. He turned it over in his hand and looked at it. It was a sliver locket. He handed it over to Alana. She looked so relieved to have it.   
  
"I didn't even know I had dropped it until I saw it lying on the ground." She said.  
  
Izzy sat on the ground next to her. "It must mean a lot to you."  
  
She smiled at him. "It was my mother's. Before she died, she gave it to me. She gave it to me so that I wouldn't feel jealous of Raven for getting her ring." She tried to undo the clasp, but her fingers slipped.  
  
"Here, let me help." Izzy offered. Alana handed him the locket. He quickly undid the clasp and draped the chain around her neck. She turned her head slightly and lifted her ebony hair out of the way as he hooked the clasp back together.  
  
"Thank you." She replied, dropping her hair and adjusting the locket so that it rested on her chest.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Izzy asked, concerned.  
  
Alana gazed up at him. Izzy felt nervous for some reason, but he shook it off. "I am much better, now that I am out of that place. I would hate to die in such a place."  
  
"You are not going to die." Izzy stated.  
  
"I wish I were as certain as you are." She feigned a smile. Then, she quickly changed the subject. "So, Izzy, what do you do for fun?"  
  
"Most of the time, I am preoccupied with my computer. I do not do many things that most people consider fun." Izzy replied, looking down at the ground.  
  
"It all depends on what you consider fun. To some people, computers can be fun. I know that would be happy if I still had my computer, but LadyLokimon destroyed it soon after she captured us. After my mother died, I used to spend hours creating programs."  
  
Izzy sighed. "When I found out that I was adopted I immersed myself in computer studies, rather than face the truth of my origins."  
  
He felt a hand on his, and looked up to see Alana smiling warmly at him. "Do you remember your real parents at all?"  
  
"No." He replied plainly. "But my adoptive parents treat me as if I were really theirs."  
  
"You should be glad that you have a family that cares about you."  
  
"I know, sometimes I take them for granted. But I just wish I knew who my parents were."  
  
"It's a lot harder to go through life with memories of your parents and knowing that you'll never see them again. My father died when I was still a baby. I don't remember him. But when my mother died, it was as if my whole world had been ripped apart."  
  
"At least you have Raven." Izzy said, trying to cheer her up. She didn't need to be depressed in her unhealthy condition.  
  
"Yes, my older sister is great. She watches out for me, but she's not overprotective. When we were being held captive, she gave me some of her food. She tried to keep me from getting sick." She looked down at the ground.  
  
Izzy felt bad. He didn't want her to be sad. He pulled out his computer and held it out to her. "Here, maybe this will cheer you up."  
  
He saw her eyes light up at the sight of it. A huge smile spread across her face. She looked up at him. "Can I?"  
  
Izzy nodded and watched as she slowly reached out to take it. She laid it across her lap and opened it. She ran her fingers along the keys, not actually pressing anything. She seemed to be enjoying the feel of it. Izzy smiled as she finally turned it on.  
  
Then she started typing, her hands gliding across the keys, like an expert. Her fingers moved so quickly and her eyes were locked on the screen. She looked so happy. "This is great." She said. "You have a really wonderful piece of equipment here."  
  
"Thank you." Izzy replied, blushing. He was just glad that he had been able to cheer her up.  
  
  
Chapter Nineteen  
  
  
Matt woke up with a bad headache. He sat up, placing his hand to his head as he moved. He could feel the bandages wrapped around his head.  
  
"You're awake." Said a little blonde haired boy as he threw his arms around Matt.  
  
"Get away from me." He said, pushing the boy away. He didn't appreciate the unwanted hug the boy had given him. Besides, he didn't know this boy. At least he didn't remember him.   
  
Tears appeared in the boy's eyes. "I'm sorry Matt. I forgot. You don't remember me anymore." He turned and ran over to a girl dressed completely in pink. He wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and cried onto her skirt.  
  
"You know, you could have been nicer to him." Said a pretty voice.  
  
Matt turned and saw Raven sitting beside him. At least he was able to recognize someone. "How long have I been out?" He asked her.  
  
"You were drifting in and out of consciousness for awhile, but for the past day you've been sleeping peacefully. How do you feel?"  
  
"I have a headache, but other than that I feel okay." Matt replied as he looked around.  
  
He was surrounded by strangers. There were only two people and one digimon that he could recognize, Raven, Alana, and Gabumon. Everyone else was unfamiliar to him. Sure he had seen them at the castle, but those were the only memories he had of them. They kept telling him that they were his friends, but Matt didn't trust them. The only one he had trusted had been LadyLokimon, and it turned out that she had erased his memories. She had admitted it to everyone.  
  
Matt felt so confused. Why had he saved them from LadyLokimon? Why did he keep protecting them from her? It had only gotten him in trouble. He wished he could remember something, anything, since the only memories he had were lies created by LadyLokimon.  
  
"Matt, are you feeling well?" Gabumon asked as he and almost everyone else walked over to him. Alana, still being very weak, stayed where she was, typing on the keyboard of a computer.  
  
"I'd feel better if there weren't so many people crowding me." Matt replied. He saw that boy again, still holding onto the skirt of the girl in pink.  
  
"Well, since you can't remember us, I think we should introduce ourselves to you again." Said a tall boy with bluish black hair who wore glasses. "I'm Joe, and this is Gomamon." He gestured to the digimon beside his foot that looked like some kind of sea animal.  
  
They each introduced themselves in turn. There was a boy with brown hair, named Tai, another boy with reddish hair named Izzy, and a girl with a helmet named Sora. The girl wearing the pink outfit was named Mimi, and the boy that still held onto her skirt was T.K.   
  
The Digimon were next. There was one that looked like a small dinosaur or lizard of some sort. He was called Agumon. One looked like a strange plant and was named Palmon. There was a big bug, named Tentomon, and one that looked like a bird that was named Biyomon. And the little boy, T.K. held a digimon in his arms that had huge wing-like ears. It was called Patamon. Matt didn't know if he would be able to remember everybody's name.  
  
Matt remembered Sora from the castle. She had been the one that told him the secret he had kept from everyone. She had seemed nice enough. Matt watched her as she took hold of T.K.'s hand, pulling him away from Mimi's skirt.  
  
"I guess we'll give you your space." Tai said, as he and the others walked away.  
  
"Yeah, I should retrieve my computer from Alana. Maybe I will be able to contact Gennai and acquire some assistance for Alana and Raven." Izzy announced.  
  
Everyone slowly walked away, except for Sora and T.K. Matt wondered why they didn't leave. Patamon, Biyomon, and Gabumon also walked away. Even Raven stood and stumbled away, going over to sit by her younger sister.   
  
"What do you want?" Matt asked. He just wanted to be alone right now. He didn't want company.  
  
Sora stepped forward, pushing T.K. toward Matt. "It's about T.K."  
  
"What about him?" Matt replied, as he stood.  
  
T.K. wiped his eyes as Sora spoke. "He's your brother."  
  
"What?" Matt asked quietly, although he was shocked.   
  
"I'll leave you two alone." Sora said, before turning to walk away like the others had.  
  
Matt got down on his knees and just stared at T.K., trying to remember anything about him. But there was nothing but a faint hint of something familiar. "I wish I could remember you." Matt whispered.  
  
"Once we get your harmonica back from LadyLokimon, you'll remember everything." T.K. replied.  
  
"What if we can't get it back?"  
  
"We will. Tai said we would. He wouldn't lie to us." T.K. said hopefully.  
  
Matt closed his eyes, not really sure if he wanted to get his memories back. He remembered the story Sora had told him, about his sister and mother. Right now, it was just a story. Sure it was depressing, but it didn't have the same impact it would if he could remember it. Memories can be so much more vivid than a story told to you by someone else. Why would he ever want to remember the deaths of people he had held dear?  
  
A shout from across the clearing, grabbed Matt's attention. He opened his eyes and looked to Izzy, the one that had yelled out, "I have great news!"  
  
"What is it Izzy?" Joe asked.  
  
Matt stood and walked over to the small group. He wanted to hear this great news. Maybe it had something to do with him. He could hear T.K.'s footsteps as the boy followed him.  
  
"Before I was able to attempt a communication with Gennai, he emailed me."  
  
"That is great. What did he say?" Tai exclaimed.  
  
"He informed me that he was already aware of our current situation. He has made the proper arrangements for a temporary hospital of sorts, for Alana and Raven. Since his own residence is too far away, he told me of a place that is only a short walk from here. He said that he'd meet us there, to assess their health and provide them with the proper treatments." Izzy replied.  
  
"Okay Izzy, lead the way." Mimi said.  
  
The others began walking, except for Izzy and Joe, who walked over to Alana to help her. Matt walked over to Raven, seeing that she was having trouble standing. He knew that T.K. was following him again, but he didn't pay any attention to him.  
  
"You need a hand?" He asked.  
  
"I hate feeling so weak." She replied quietly. She looked up at him and smiled. Then she added, "Yes, I would appreciate your assistance."  
  
He lifted her into his arms, and carried her quite easily. She was so light, almost as light as her sister had been when had carried her. With Izzy leading, they made it to the building Gennai had told Izzy about. It was just a small shack, nothing spectacular. Gennai was waiting outside for them.  
  
"It's good to see you children again." He said kindly, although he was looking more to Raven and Alana than the other children.  
  
  
Chapter Twenty  
  
  
They had been there for almost a week. Gennai had insisted that they all stay together and wait for Raven and Alana to at least get a little better. The rest seemed to do them a lot of good. Matt could see them getting healthier with every passing day. It went slowly, but at least now they had more energy and strength.   
  
However, Matt was getting restless. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable around these people. They were nice to him, tried to include him in everything they did. But he just felt out of place, like he didn't really belong there.   
  
He stood and walked to one the window. He had to share a room with Tai and the rest of the boys, while the girls all shared the other room. Matt wasn't exactly sure where Gennai was sleeping at night, or even if he slept at night. But right now, he wasn't thinking about Gennai or his sleeping habits. He was staring out at the sky, wondering if he was missing any good memories.   
  
Matt turned and looked over at his sleeping roommates. It was too crowded in here. He had to get away for a little while. They had never left him alone for one minute since he had betrayed LadyLokimon. He needed to get away from these people for just a few minutes. Slowly, he crept to the door and opened it. And just as quietly, he walked out of the shack and into the cool night air.  
  
He took in a deep breath, enjoying the solitude. Finally, a moment alone. He sat on the ground, just a few feet away from the shack. He didn't need to go very far. It was just enough that he was away from all those people for a few minutes.  
  
He heard the door open and shut behind him. He didn't turn to look, didn't need to. He knew that his moment of peace and quite was over. Gabumon sat beside him. "Why are you out here all alone?" He asked.  
  
"I just needed some time to myself." Matt replied.  
  
"Then, maybe we should leave." Gabumon said.  
  
Matt turned, wondering who else was there. He was surprised to see Raven standing behind him. She seemed so much healthier than just a few days ago. The color had returned to her cheeks and she could now walk on her own. Of course, he had seen her a few hours ago, since he spent most of his time visiting her. He enjoyed listening to her talk about her past, her memories. It made him want his own back.  
  
"What are you doing up? You should be resting." Matt said to her. He knew that she was still ill, although some of her strength had returned.  
  
"No, I'm fine." She replied as she sat beside Matt.   
  
"How's Alana?" Matt asked, not liking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them.  
  
"She's sleeping. And Gennai says that she is much better." She replied.  
  
Before he could speak another word, a voice echoed in his head. "Matt. Come to me." He knew that voice. It was LadyLokimon.   
  
Matt glanced over at Raven, wondering if she had heard it too. But it didn't look as if she had.   
  
"Come on, Matt. I'm waiting for you." LadyLokimon's voice replied.  
  
Matt shook his head, trying to fight it. He didn't want to go, he didn't want to return to her. But his body wouldn't listen. It was as if he had no control over himself anymore. Matt stood, all the time struggling against his own body.  
  
"Matt, where are you going?" Raven asked.  
  
"LadyLokimon is calling me." Matt replied.  
  
"Don't go to her. Stay here with us, with me."  
  
"It doesn't look like I have much choice. She has complete control over me. I can't stop myself." He stated.  
  
"Well, I'm coming too."  
  
"No." He argued. "She'll hurt you. I can't let her do that."  
  
"I'm not going to let you go alone." Raven said as she walked beside him.  
  
"I am going to. And do not try to argue. You cannot stop me." Gabumon replied, as he also followed.   
  
"What about the others?" Matt asked. "Won't they be worried if we're gone?"  
  
"I will leave a trail for them to follow." Gabumon said. He turned to a tree and scratched off some of the bark.   
  
  
Chapter Twenty-One  
  
  
Matt had stopped fighting his own body several hours ago, sometime after sunrise. He had given up. It wasn't as if he could stop himself anyway. LadyLokimon still had his harmonica. She still had control over him.   
  
Raven and Gabumon still walked on either side of him. Although Raven looked extremely tired. He wondered how much longer she would be able to go on.  
  
"It's about time you got here." LadyLokimon said.  
  
Matt looked up and saw her. She was standing in a clearing, the same clearing they had been at only a week ago, before Izzy had gotten that message from Gennai.   
  
"What do you want with him?" Raven demanded from beside Matt.  
  
"What I always wanted. To have a little fun." LadyLokimon replied, laughing. She pulled out Matt's harmonica and once again scraped one of her long red nails across its surface.  
  
Matt and Gabumon immediately fell to the ground screaming in pain. To Matt, it was as if a thousand needles had been rammed into his skull. The pain was all he felt. He didn't even know that Raven was kneeling beside him. He didn't hear her scream out, "Leave him alone!"  
  
Then, abruptly, the pain stopped. He pushed himself to his knees and glared up at LadyLokimon. "Why me?" He asked, his breath coming in pants.  
  
"Why not." Replied LadyLokimon. "You were in so much pain, remembering those horrible things. It made you an easy prey. If it hadn't been for that girl, Sora, I wouldn't have had to use my power to make the dreams worse."  
  
"What do you mean?" Raven asked.  
  
"Once he told her, he let out all that pent-up emotion. She helped him to deal with it by bringing it out. I had to make the nightmares worse, otherwise, he never would have asked to forget."   
  
Raven hissed at the evil digimon through clenched teeth, "You monster."  
  
"Now why am I bothering talking to you?" LadyLokimon asked. "Oh never mind." She raised her arm, toward Raven.   
  
Matt watched, horrified as Raven was thrown back by an invisible force. She struck a tree and fell to the ground limply. Her body just lay there motionless as Matt screamed out her name.  
  
He stood and rushed to her side. Carefully, he turned her over, holding her carefully in his arms. She wasn't moving. He shook her gently, hoping to awaken her. He sighed with relief as she groaned in pain. At least she wasn't dead. But that didn't mean that she wasn't seriously hurt, or dying.   
  
Seeing her like this, brought up so many emotions. In an instant he realized how much her company had meant to him that night and all those other nights. She had been the one that sat beside him during that week when he felt overwhelmed by his friends attempt to remind him of his past. She had played with the little brother he couldn't remember anymore, when Matt just couldn't bring himself to be around the boy. Although their time together had been short, only knowing each other for a few days, he loved her more than he could have imagined. Now he just wished that he could tell her.   
  
"Don't worry Raven, I'll get you back to Gennai. He'll help you." He said.  
  
Matt laid her down gently. He brushed a stray strand of her long black hair away from her face. For a moment he just stared down at her lovely face. "I love you." He whispered as he leaned closer to her. He lightly brushed his lips against her forehead in a tender kiss as a tear fell from his eye.   
  
"You think you're leaving?" LadyLokimon laughed.  
  
"I want my memories back." He stated as he stood.  
  
"Then come and take them if you can. If you can reach it before you collapse, you win." She held the harmonica out and once again scraped her nail across it.  
  
But even though the pain radiated throughout his head, he didn't fall. He wouldn't let himself. Raven's life was at stake. He had to get that harmonica back so that she wouldn't control him anymore.   
  
He forced himself to take a step forward. His vision blurred, but he continued to walk. He couldn't hear anything anymore, couldn't feel his feet hitting the ground. The only thing he knew was that he had to save Raven, had to get his harmonica. All he felt was pain, all he saw was a blur that he thought was LadyLokimon.   
  
Matt reached out his hand toward the blurry blob that was LadyLokimon. The instant his fingers touched the surface of his harmonica, the pain stopped and his memories came flooding back to him.  
  
"Impossible!" LadyLokimon screamed. "You should have been writhing in pain before me. Impossible!"   
  
Matt pulled the harmonica out of her grasp and fell backward, his head throbbing slightly with the aftereffects of the pain. "You lose." He muttered as his vision focused on a very angry LadyLokimon. He looked up at her and watched as she raised her arms.  
  
She raised her arms above her head, staring down at him with fury burning in her eyes. "Dead Scream!" She shouted as she prepared her attack.  
  
Matt closed his eyes, knowing that her attack would kill him. But the attack never came. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, to see LadyLokimon's body disintegrating. "No! Impossible!" She kept shouting until her body had completely vanished.  
  
Matt turned his head and was surprised to see his friends standing only a few feet away from him. He could remember them now, all of them. Greymon stood in front of them, blocking Raven from his sight. Tai caught his digimon as he turned back into Koromon.  
  
He saw Gabumon pulling the collar from around his neck and dropping it to the ground. Then, he saw Joe kneeling beside Raven, looking her over.   
  
"What took you guys so long?" Matt asked, as Sora ran over to him and helped him up.  
  
"Sorry, but we didn't notice you were gone until morning." Mimi replied.  
  
T.K. slowly approached his brother. He looked afraid, as if he didn't know exactly what to do. But when Matt held his arms out, T.K. ran to him. "Matt, you remember me?" T.K. asked as Matt was hugging him tightly.  
  
"I'm sorry T.K. I never should have asked to forget." Matt said, meaning every word of it. His memories were precious to him now. Even though there were some bad memories, he still had plenty of good ones. He could still remember his mother's beautiful smile and that was a memory he never wanted to forget again.  
  
Then, he pulled away from T.K., remembering Raven. "I have to go check on Raven, okay T.K.?"  
  
T.K. nodded with a huge smile on his face.  
  
Matt jogged over to her, just in time to see Joe help her to her feet. She was unsteady, but other than that she looked relatively okay. "You all right?" He asked.  
  
"I've felt better." She answered with a smile. "I have an awful headache though."  
  
"We should get her back to Gennai." Joe replied.  
  
"Sounds like good idea to me. I'm sure Alana would appreciate knowing that her sister is safe." Izzy said.  
  
Matt took hold of her arm, helping Raven to walk back to the shack. They walked behind the others a few feet, while T.K. was happily running ahead of the group, holding Patamon in his arms. No one seemed to mind that Raven and Matt had fallen behind.  
  
While they were walking, Raven turned to Matt. "Did you mean what you said?" She asked quietly.  
  
"What?" He asked, unsure of her question.  
  
"When I was hurt, I heard you say that you love me. Did you mean it?"   
  
He stopped dead in his tracks and looked into her eyes, into her deep purple eyes. All his fear seemed to vanish as he lost himself in her eyes. "I love you." He said, the words coming out in a whisper.  
  
She pulled him closer to her, bringing her lips to his in a short tender kiss. "I love you too." She replied as she pulled away from him.  
  
He smiled at her, knowing she truly meant those words. Seeing her so beautiful that first day they had proclaimed their love for each other, Matt knew he'd never ask to forget again. He never wanted to lose the precious memory of the first day they had spoken those words to each other.  
  
  
  
The End  
  
  
  
I hoped you liked it. Please Review this story, or email me. Tell me if you think I should write a sequel or not. I've got a few ideas, but nothing solid yet. Of course, if this story doesn't get enough good reviews, I won't bother writing a sequel. (Well, maybe if someone asked really nicely, I might.)   
  
  



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